


the Mockingjay (A Love Story of Musical Sorts)

by hislittlebunny



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-12-22
Updated: 2012-12-22
Packaged: 2017-11-22 00:08:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/603589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hislittlebunny/pseuds/hislittlebunny
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Essentially, the brainchild of sleepless nights and constant watching of Moulin Rouge- Katniss is the Sparkling Diamond of the Mockingjay, run by the famous Caeser Flickerman. Peeta Mellark is a new-to-the-Capitol boy who gets wrapped up in a bohemian troupe, determined to write a revolutionary play. When these lives collide, the one thing to remember is this: The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: L'Amour

I first came to the Mockingjay one year ago. I had known nothing of the Mockingjay, Caeser Flickerman or the Sparkling Diamond.

I left my humble life as a baker- I ran away from a scolding mother and a miserable father. My mother… she was all too disgusted in me for leaving- and especially in my future choice of residence.

“The Capitol? That… that city of sin?! You disgusting boy!” She paused in her screaming. “At least, it’s a lovely place for failures like you to go live.”

My father, on the other hand, had more… inspiring words to speak.

“You know, you will always be successful if you remember these four values: Freedom, beauty, truth and love.

Ahh, yes. Above all things I had always believed in love.

Of course, at that point in my life, I had hardly known what love was. Besides my father’s loving words, I had mostly lived a life of suffering. I had older brothers who I knew cared about me, but they’d left long before I made my decision, and hadn’t ever returned.

So it was settled. I left for the Capitol quickly and easily. As if the world wanted me to go- as if destiny wanted me to go.

I had arrived in the town and immediately was overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of the city. It was huge, and full of people. I tried maneuvering through the crowds- only to get pushed away and knocked down. As I rubbed my back and sat on the bricked ground, I wondered if I’d made the right decision.

But as fate would have it, I looked up, and saw a sign. It was rather large, and printed in a fancy cursive, and it read ‘L’amour’. 

“L’amour?” I asked aloud. “I know what that means- love!”

A man, walking by my pathetic form, glared down at me. 

“I’m sorry.” I mumbled, standing up and brushing my pants off. I grabbed my suitcase and slipped across the street- to rent a room in the beautiful building.

Later that evening, I had been sitting there, pondering what my next step would be, when a large, dark-skinned man fell through my ceiling- dangling by a rope by one foot. I barely had time to react when another man burst in my door- a rather handsome man who was dressed as a nun.

“Hello! I am Finnick Odair, and this is Thresh.” He giggled nervously. “I’m so sorry to bother you, but we were rehearsing!” His arms thrust out in a theatrical manner, while Thresh continued to spin and snore. I could hardly suppress my confusion.

“Rehearsing?”

“A play! Yes, a wonderful, magnificent play called Spectacular Spectacular!” At this, the sleeping man fell from his hold, and landed on the ground with a thud. I grimaced.  
If the night couldn’t get any more peculiar, two men and a woman peered through the hole in my ceiling. “Finnick? What are we going to do now? Thresh went from being a narcoleptic to being fully unconscious!” the woman cried out.

“Then I guess practice is finished for today!” Finnick shrugged down at Thresh. 

One of the men pushed forward, and I could smell the alcohol from where I was standing. “Finnick, if we don’t finish rehearsal soon, we’ll never be ready to present.”

The other man shoved forward, and I noted that he was missing an arm. “Yes, well I still have a bit more music to write…”

Finnick looked at me. “What is your name?”

“Peeta…” I answered, my voice full of suspicion. 

“Are you sensitive?”

“What?” 

“Your personality- are you sensitive?”

I took a moment to think about where this would lead. I was slightly frightened, but more curious. “I suppose, why?”

“Would you like to read for the part of our sensitive poet/goat herder?” 

I smiled at the man dressed as a nun. “Sure.”

We rushed upstairs- leaving the unconscious man on the floor- and I got my full glance of the ‘play’ setting. It was a brightly colored backdrop with a painting of a mountain on it. Finnick stood in place and immediately began to sing, as the one armed man, miraculously, played the music.

“The hills are made with the euphonious symphonies of descant...” He cried out, dancing around and waving his arms. 

The troupe shared a look as the music cut out. The drunken man stated simply, “I don’t think a nun would say that about a hill.”

I chuckled, but tried to hide it- fortunately, none of them noticed.

The one armed man smirked. “What if he sings ‘The hills are vital, intoning the descant’?”

“No, the hills quake and shake-“ Finnick started, but was cut off by the woman.

“Absolutely not!” She shook her head, and brown pony-tail almost slapped her in the face. Suddenly, a noise was heard from downstairs- it was Thresh.

“The hills are incarnate with symphonic melodies!” he yelled with a deep voice, before collapsing down again.

The troupe shared a look, but continued arguing. I had come up with an idea, at that moment, and tried relaying it to them- but they couldn’t hear me over their arguing. I climbed the ladder, and tried for their attention again, but it was no use. Finally, as their bickering was leading into screaming, I took a deep breath and sang out:

“The hills are alive with the sound of music!” 

The room was silent. I felt my face flush, and was about to climb down, when Thresh sprang up from his sleeping position. “The hills are alive with the sound of music! I love it!”

The group all tested out the song, and all seemed very pleased with it- minus the girl, who crossed her arms and glared at me.

“Brilliant!” Finnick concluded, which led me into my next verse.

“With songs they have sung for a thousand years,” I finished with a smile. 

Finnick gasped. “Beautiful! Johanna, you two should write the show… together!”

“Excuse me?” Johanna continued glaring. “Absolutely not. I refuse.” She got up and stomped out of the room, angered by the suggestion.

Finnick shrugged. “Never really wanted to let my little sister in the gang, anyway.”

The two elder men laughed, and told me their names- Haymitch was the drunk and Chaff was the one-armed man. He told me to not ask about it. 

The air seemed calm- for half a second- before Chaff spoke up. “But Finnick, I doubt he’ll be able to convince Flickerman- he might be too amateur for the Mockingjay. No offense.”

Flickerman? Mockingjay? I had no idea what this man was talking about, so I could hardly take offense.

“Tell me, Peeta, have you done this before?” Finnick asked. I assumed he meant the singing and writing of songs.

“No…” I answered honestly.

Once again, Thresh was up. He marched over to me and grabbed my crotch. I gasped, while he screamed, “This boy has talent!...I like him. Nothing funny, I just like talent.” He let go of my crotch, and I relaxed.

The four wandered a bit away from me, and I leaned over on the ladder to hear them.

“The hills are alive with the sound of music! With Peeta, we can write the truly bohemian revolutionary show that we’ve always dreamed of!” His voice was hardly quiet, and I heard every word.

“But how will we convince Flickerman?”

“Katniss!” Finnick said, snapping his fingers. The four looked to me. 

The quickly relayed the plan to me: I was to dress in Thresh’s nicest suit, and portray a famous writer. They would have me go to see Katniss, otherwise known as the Mockingjay’s best attraction, and relay my writing to her. Once I impressed her, she would demand that Spectacular Spectacular not only be performed at the Mockingjay, but that I be the one credited with writing it.

The scheme sounded great, the only problem was that I kept hearing my mother’s voice scolding me in my head: “You’ll end up wasting your days with some slut at a dancing lounge in that sin city… Just wait and see!”

“I’m not sure I can do this!” I cried out, and ran from my new friends. They followed, their faces plastered in desperate worry.

“And why not?” Haymitch stumbled.

“I don’t know if I’m passionate enough for this…” I mumbled, staring at my feet.

Finnick’s group gasped. “Do you believe in beauty?” Finnick shouted

“Yes.” I said hesitantly.

“Freedom?” Thresh pounded his chest.

“Yes, of course.” I replied, this time with more certainty.

“Truth?” Chaff reached his one arm out to me.

“Yes.”

“Love?” Haymitch’s eyes went wide.

“Love? Love. Above all things I believe in love.” I responded. The group seemed settled by my conviction, but I continued. “Love is like oxygen. Love is a many-splendored thing. Love lifts us up where we belong- All you need is love!” At my last words, I stood up, proud at my own personal revelation.

“Let’s drink to the new writer of the world’s first bohemian revolutionary show!” Finnick yelled, and Chaff and Haymitch cheered along with him. For it being my first time hearing that phrase, I had a feeling it would be far from my last.

Finnick made his way over to a table, and poured five glasses of a very pungent smelling alcohol. “Absinthe.” Thresh informed me. We walked over and grabbed our glasses. “To Peeta!” Thresh cried out.

“To Peeta!” The troupe chanted, and gulped their drinks down. I followed, and soon found myself coughing the strong liquid back up.

Haymitch pounded my back and laughed, “Ain’t nothing like your mommy’s breast milk, eh?” I looked at him in shock for his vulgar language, but he continued to laugh. They fed me glass after glass.

Needless to say, I do not remember much of my first night in the Capitol.


	2. Chapter 2: the Sparkling Diamond

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any confusion in this chapter- the italicized character name at the beginning illustrates who's point of view it's from, and the little ~*~ doodad shows a line break in a chapter- I felt it was unnecessary to repeat twice some of the events of this scene. I hope this makes sense! :)

_Peeta_

“Peeta, you must calm down.” Finnick told me for the tenth time as we walked to the Mockingjay.

“I am calm.” I responded all too quickly. Haymitch and Chaff exchanged a look, while Finnick shook his head in a pitying way.

“Have you ever… been with a woman before?”

“Well, I… One time, I… No.” I finished with defeat. “Never.”

Haymitch and Chaff didn’t try to conceal their guffaws, but Finnick’s attempt was much better.

“Don’t worry about it, boy. Just be calm, and enjoy the show.” We arrived at the tented entrance. It was bright and beautiful- streams of fabric in all different colors. My eyes were particularly drawn to a warm shade of orange, and I sighed as I thought of my home-time hobby: painting.

We entered silently, and walked in to an almost black room. There were many seats, and we took ours on a balcony, higher from the ground but not too high to miss the sights.

After we sat in the silent dark for a few moments, a man with bright blue hair appeared under a spotlight in the middle of the floor. He raised his arms to us in a welcoming gesture. “Welcome to the Mockingjay!”

Finnick had informed me earlier; this was Caeser Flickerman, and his girls- known as his Diamond dogs.

 Flickerman lowered his arms and from all around him, girls came running out. I counted fifteen- dancing around in big, fluffy dresses with their hair and make- up done in ways I’d never seen before.

The girls began to sing something that I couldn’t pick up, while Flickerman led them in a dance-line, singing along with them, “If life’s an awful bore, and living’s such a chore that we do ‘cause death’s not much fun,” He slapped a dancer’s behind with his stick, and I gasped in shock.

Flickerman continued singing and dancing with his girls, and I turned to Finnick. “This is… intense!’

“I know, isn’t it great?”

The show continued on, while I stared with anxiety. This was _not_ my scene.

Suddenly, the music stopped. Flickerman had somehow ended up on a stage. The crowed had become so quiet that we could all hear Flickerman’s whisper- “The Cancan.”

He flipped a sign and it read, in plain print, the Cancan. I looked to Finnick for explanation, but he just nudged my shoulder and pointed to the stage. I wondered if this was when I’d get my first glance at Katniss. Instead, the fifteen dancers from before did an intricate Cancan dance with select gentlemen from the audience. They were doing all sorts of inappropriate dance moves on one another. Finnick simply cheered and laughed along with the crowd, those who hadn’t made their way to the stage.

“Peeta, welcome to the Mockingjay.” Finnick repeated Flickerman’s infamous words to me, and he patted me on the back. I smiled at him, but my insides felt like _they_ were doing a Cancan, too.

Without warning, the dancers all stopped and the music, once again, silenced. This time, the lights changed, and the room had a sudden bluish tint to it. We all looked up to the ceiling. Flakes of glitter and shiny paper sprinkled down on us. I held my hand up to protect my eyes and continued to stare.

“It’s _her_.” Finnick said, in awe. “The Sparkling Diamond.”

Lowered down from a trapeze was the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on- she was dressed in a sparkling gown, a black top hat, and long black gloves. Her olive colored skin was set off amazingly in the curious light, and her dark hair fell in tumbles down her back. She only got more beautiful as she opened her mouth and sang. “The French are glad to die for love. They delight in fighting duels.”

Her voice pierced my soul and made my heart skip a beat. I could hardly hold my breath as she continued.

“But I prefer a man who lives... and gives expensive... jewels.” Her swing began to swirl around the room, and she arched her back down to wave at her subjects- I glanced around and noticed that all the men in the lounge were just as love-struck as I was.

The music perked up and she sang more, “A kiss on the hand may be quite continental, but diamonds are a girl’s best friend!” She was lowered to the crowd, where the stage men were gripping her legs and arms. I had never once more wanted to be a part of a crowd then at that exact moment.

She climbed down from the swing and began to dance- swirling in an amazing fashion. “A kiss may be grand, but it won’t pay the rental on your humble flat, or help you feed your pussycat.” She sang this with a teasing wink to an elder gentleman, who promptly collapsed.

“Men grow cold as girls grow old, and we all lose our charms in the end.” Another ‘gentleman’ reached forward and slapped her rear end. To this I saw a fleeting flash of annoyance pass over her face, before she turned and smiled at the venturous man. “But square cut or pear shaped, these rocks don’t lose their shape.”

A man handed Katniss a diamond necklace, which she snatched up and smiled at him. “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend!”

Katniss stopped singing and began flirting with the men to the music. Finnick turned to me and whispered conspiratorially, “After her number, I have arranged a private meeting. Just you and Katniss- totally alone.”

I was about to panic and tell Finnick I couldn’t do it anymore, but I was distracted by Katniss, who let out a loud whoop from the stage.

She had found herself in the arms of a man, and was singing while caressing his face. “’Cause we are living in a material world, and I am a material girl.” She tapped his nose at the last word, and he released her. She danced away, with men following her. I couldn’t help myself.

“Oh, my.” I mumbled.

Flickerman had found his way on a higher stage with Katniss and the dancing men and women below them. “There may come a time when a lass needs a lawyer,” she sang.

“But diamonds are a girl’s best friend.” Flickerman finished as she danced.

“There may come a time when a hard-boiled employer thinks you’re,” she was bent over, and Flickerman pretended to fondle her bum as he finished her line, “Awful nice.”

I felt Finnick moving and I turned to him in surprise. “Don’t worry, don’t worry. I’ll sally forth and tee things up.” He wasn’t paying attention and bumped a tea tray onto another gentleman’s lap- a man sitting on the other side of the curtain that separated our balcony.

I heard Finnick bumbling with the other man. He peered his head around the curtain. “Excuse me, Peeta, may I borrow a napkin?” He stole one from my breast pocket, shaking it out of my shirt. Just then, I glanced up and saw Katniss staring- no, glaring- at me from her point on stage. She was still dancing around, but her face was set in anger as she looked at me. Then, when she realized I had seen her face, she sent me a charming smile and continued dancing.

The dancers suddenly formed a sort of wall around Katniss and Flickerman, and they disappeared behind the turret of skirts. I shifted in my seat to catch a glimpse, but I could see nothing. After a short few seconds, the skirts fell, revealing Katniss in a totally different outfit. “’Cause that’s when those louses go back to their spouses! ‘Cause diamonds are a girl’s best…” The swing fell down and she sat on it, and it propelled her to my balcony. Her eyes zeroed in on me, and I stood and backed up to allow her entrance on our balcony. “… Friend,” she sang soulfully, and shook her hips in my view. I could hear her dress jingling, but it was far off, as I stared at her beauty in front of me.

“I believe you are expecting me?” She asked, her eyes not quite lighting up like her smile was.

“Yes. Yes.” I whispered.

She rolled her eyes and turned to the crowd, “I’m afraid it’s lady’s choice.” She did a half turn and pointed at me- prompting the crowd to cheer wildly. She fully turned back to me as music began playing. “Let’s dance.”

She walked down the stairway and I followed, quickly at first, but I slowed down as we reached the main floor- and the stage. Katniss twirled away, singing along to the music, and I was too entranced by her beauty to step forward. Only after two men grabbed me by my arms and propelled me forward was I able to meet her in the middle of the dance floor. Her face- which was once warm and friendly- had now become the same cool, distant look that I’d seen glimpses of through the night.

“S-so I was thinking we could meet some-someplace more… Private?” I offered. She almost sneered at me, before rearranging her face into a perfect smile. Up close, it was impossible for me _not_ to look at her body- tiny and delicate. I noticed her eye color- a light gray. Perfect for the Sparkling Diamond. I felt myself choke as I continued to stare at her beauty. Finally, she spoke, awaking me from my trance.

“Yes, yes. Of course. In my private room?” Her voice lacked much emotion, but in her eyes, I could have sworn I saw a flash of fear.

“I mean, I guess, um… sure!” I sputtered. Regardless of her tone or face, I couldn’t help but feel extremely nervous to be alone with the Sparkling Diamond of the Mockingjay.

“Well, if you’ll excuse me…” We had finished our dance. I bowed, and found Finnick and the crew in the crowd.

“That was some _lovely_ dancing, sir.” Chaff teased, and pantomimed my awkward steps. I shoved him, and directed my attention back to Katniss. She was, once again, sitting on her swing. She gave a delicate glance around the room before resuming her earlier song.

“Diamonds… Diamonds…” She began, her voice loud and powerful. I couldn’t help but stare at her, and wonder what she thought of me. “Square-cut or pear shaped, these rocks won’t lose their shape ‘cause Diamonds are a girl’s… best…” she paused. Her eyes grew frantic and she let out a yell. “Prim!”

With that, she reached forward and fell, almost gracefully, to the ground. I looked to Finnick, “Is this supposed to happen?”

His face was twisted in shock, so I gathered quickly, that no, this was _not_ supposed to happen. I quickly stepped forward- as if to save her- when a man taller and darker than me caught her, deftly, in his grasp. The crowd gasped and cheered, and the man carried her off without a glance back.

We waited for a minute, struck dumb, until Flickerman cleared his throat and laughed. “You’ve scared her away!”

The crowd all groaned in disappointment. I glared at the seemingly drooling men around me. Had they no _shame_? She’d almost died!

“But I can see some Diamond Dogs that would love to have the company of a gentleman… or two!” He chuckled, and out came some of his girls, giggling and waving their skirts all the way. I pushed to the VIP doors and entered, finding myself back-stage of the Mockingjay lounge, and in a large yard that contained all the rooms of all the dancers. I immediately spotted the one that had to be Katniss’s- it was the biggest, and grandest. It was also shaped like a giant elephant. I smiled at it, and went to go wait for Finnick to give me the OK to go inside. All the while, I wondered- is Katniss okay? Who was that man that caught her? Why did she fall?

And the question that haunted me the most of all was: Who was Prim?

* * *

 

_Katniss_

One more show.

Just another show, and then, you can go home with Prim forever, and never have to deal with Caeser, or Effie, or Clove or anyone ever again.

That was the lie I had told myself every night for more than three years… God, had I really been working at the Mockingjay for that long? I glared at my reflection in the mirror.

“You used to be beautiful.” I snapped at the painted up person that was supposed to be me. Her eyelashes were too long to be real, and her lips were a dark red. Similar to blood.

I sighed and looked to my left- and to the only reason I was at this god-forsaken place. Primrose. My little sister. Only thirteen, but still, more beautiful than any girl at this lounge. Including me… but mostly Clove.

Just then, the bitch stormed by, only pausing to mumble a quiet ‘whore’ to me under her breath. I rolled my eyes and turned back to my sister. She was playing with the lounge mom’s cat- Buttercup. The fuzzy orange monstrosity hated everyone in the club, except Primrose. Effie crooned that the cat knew who was special and who was not- the lounge mom always had a thing for my little sister. As did Flickerman, who only offered me the job because he thought she was cute (and because he thought I was sixteen, but I had tricked them all, hadn’t I?) Yes, getting a job at the Mockingjay at age 14 shouldn’t have been one of the greatest accomplishments in my life, but you win some and you lose some. That’s what my dad used to say.

Before died when I was twelve.

Not long after, my mother killed herself from depression. And left me and Primrose all alone- starving and dying, ourselves.

And that’s how the Mockingjay came into play.

“Katniss, are you okay?” I hadn’t realized I was staring into space until Prim spoke.

“Yeah, I am.” I told her, for the sake of keeping the pretty smile on her face. She doesn’t know what it’s like to work here.

We were… not _required_ to do any more than sing and dance on stage. That’s what our contracts said. But, of course, Flickerman was always trying to make something out of nothing, so he paid us more or less, depending on what we would do. Now, some less-than-reputable dancers (Glimmer, Cashmere, Clove) would sleep with men for a few extra bucks. I didn’t.

Mostly based on principle, but also because I was underage, and therefore couldn’t. Flickerman only found that out a year after I began working, when he tried to set me up with Seneca, a powerful jewelry dealer. The look on his face was priceless.

If I hadn’t already been the Sparkling Diamond, I’m sure he would have given me the boot, then and there, but he had another plan of revenge.

He began keeping my paychecks, saving them every day, and said he’d release them to me when I had turned eighteen, as a sort of _trust fund_ for me and my sister, since teenagers could hardly be responsible for such purposes.

My eighteenth birthday was in three weeks. So while my mantra of ‘one more night’ was a lie- it wouldn’t have been in less than a month.

Rue came by and grabbed my arm. “Are you ready?” She was my closest friend in the lounge, and by that, I mean I talked to her. I never talked to any of the other dancers, unless I was telling them to move or asking them where Effie, Flickerman or Gale was.

Gale. I looked for our body guard in the crowd. If Rue was my closest friend, then Gale was my brother. Gale took care of all us dancers- kept the gross men away from us and Effie even farther. He also watched out for Prim when she was backstage, and kept her from seeing me onstage. No little girl needed to see what I did to keep us fed. It would only haunt her.

She would see my glittering dresses and painted up face and tell me how pretty I was- thinking I was only going to sing and do some small dancing. In reality, I was told to touch and be touched; two things I was never quite comfortable with.

 “Yeah, I’m ready.” I told her, and pushed myself up from my chair. _I shouldn’t be so ungrateful_ , I used to tell myself. There I was- one of the most famous women in the Capitol. I never wanted for clothing, food or shelter. But I was miserable.

I watched as the other dancers got ready for their scene- the Can Can. Before Flickerman heard my singing voice, he used to have me be a… well, in those days, they were known as Mockingjays. Since I’d taken my spot as the ‘Sparkling Diamond’ of the lounge, their names had been changed to Diamond Dogs. Not nearly as appealing, but Flickerman thought it was clever, and of course, Effie agreed with everything Flickerman said or did.

The Can Can was always filled with such life and enthusiasm. I never felt right doing it. I still didn’t feel right doing my part, but it was a hell of a lot better than dancing around, avoiding crashing into other girls and flirting with too many elderly gentlemen.

After becoming the Sparkling Diamond, I had to become distant, cold and out of every man who visits league. 

I got lost in the swirling skirts and cheering voices of the Can Can that it took a touch from Gale to snap me into reality. “Let’s get you strapped in, Catnip.”

Such an ironic nickname- Gale had called me it the first day I came to work at the Mockingjay. He asked me my name, just as Buttercup came prowling by. I reached out to pet the cat and it hissed at me- resulting in laughter from the tall boy who deemed me Catnip from that on.

I nodded and followed him to my swing. I sat on it, feeling the tight, sparkly leotard scratching my thighs. “I hate this costume.” I informed Gale.

“You’ve said, once or twice.” He responded, while strapping me in carefully. The straps were barely for protection, more to add allure to the scene.

“How do I look?” I asked, sweeping my arms across the ridiculous costume. He shrugged.

“However you want to look.”

I rolled my eyes at his cryptic response and felt myself get lifted in the air.

“See ya around, Mockingjay.” Gale called out. I barely paid attention- instead, I braced myself for meeting the crowds.

The men never got better- they were simply drooling, disgusting ‘gentlemen’ who often forgot who called the shots.

I was lowered to the main floor of the lounge, and with a spotlight shining on me, I opened my mouth and began to sing, like the caged canary I was.

~*~

I walked away from the man who’d just been groping me with disgust. I hated touching them, but if I didn’t put on a good show, Primrose would suffer. Effie and Flickerman made that fairly clear to me.

I made it to the heightened stage and stood, dancing, and waited for Flickerman to join me. I sang, and he completed my verses, and the music took a break where the dancers sang in. Suddenly, Flickerman grabbed my arm.

“My pet, you’ll never guess.”

“What?” I asked, suspiciously, and tried not to yank my arm out of his grip.

“A very… _important_ client has arranged a private meeting with you after the show!” He could barely contain his excitement. When I didn't respond how he wanted, he sighed and said, "Mayor Coriolanus Snow's son!"

I tried to appear interested, “Oh, and what does that mean?”

Flickerman danced around me, gesturing to my body wildly, while continuing to speak. “It means, Katniss, that in just a few short weeks, if you go about pleasing this _client_ well, you’ll be free.”

I almost stopped dancing. “Free?”

“Yes, my pet.” My dancing suddenly took on a real, enthusiastic gait, and I couldn’t help myself.

“Where is he?”

Flickerman spun around me and looked to the balconies, “Damn it, Finnick got in somehow…  anyway, he’s the man that Finnick is waiving a napkin in front of.”

We did a turn and suddenly I was facing the balconies. And I saw him.

Finnick was, of course, always handsome, and in my time at the Mockingjay, I’d never heard a good word about him. He was conniving and always trying to get his ‘meaningful’ plays produced at the lounge. Flickerman hated him, and didn’t want him bothering the dancers anymore (he’d managed to get one pregnant, or so I heard), so he banned Finnick from the club. Finnick, unfortunately, had the resolve of a warrior and the slickness of a snake.

But no matter how handsome Finnick was, he couldn’t compare to the man who would buy me my freedom. Flickerman had explained it easily enough- I would spend a few days with a man, he would buy my contact from the Mockingjay, and I would then be able to do what I wanted. Of course, some men might ask for more than just a few days, but as long as I wasn’t performing anymore, I’d be happy.

The man in question had broad shoulders and curly blond hair. His face had boyish qualities to it. He had a carefree smile on his face as Finnick flashed the napkin in his face, and I couldn’t stop staring at his beautiful blue eyes. He turned his head and locked his eyes into mine, and I realized I must have been glaring (my face was always set in a glare, it seemed) so I sent him what I hoped was an apologetic smile and continued dancing.

Thankfully, the part in the music where I change came on, and I found myself able to look away from the man’s eyes due to a wall of skirts blocking my view. I ducked down with Flickerman, who helped me change into my feathery dress and fluff out my hair.

“So, when will the process start in getting my freedom?” I asked, smiling at Flickerman.

“Well, you see, you won’t be _free_ until you turn eighteen…” He started, his eyes darting away from mine suspiciously.

I shook my hair out and ran a hand through it. “And why?”

Flickerman looked defeated and sighed. “He requests to be your first, my pet.”

“Wh-what?” I almost choked.

“Yes, well, you see, that’s what everything’s about today, right?”

I didn’t answer him, but resolved myself. _Three weeks left to be innocent_ …

The skirts fell like clockwork, after I was changed, and Flickerman and I stood to an amazed crowd. The swing came from behind me and, because it was carefully practiced for years, I sat gracefully on it as it pushed me forward. Instead of going to the left (and the main-main floor), it shot me forward to the man who was not only buying my freedom, but my virginity.

~*~

After dancing with the man- whose name I still hadn’t caught, I had to go back up on the swing to perform my finale.

I was pulled to the very top of the ceiling. It didn’t scare me; when I was little, I used to love climbing dangerous trees, with my father always laughing and trying to get me to come down.

I began singing, and was mid-way through my finishing verse when I noticed something strange. Effie was almost coming on stage. Her expression was worried, and her bottom lip was being chewed by her teeth, a hobby I knew Effie would never participate in. I kept singing as I scoped out the scene below me and, before my last word, I gasped in shock. “Prim!”

My little sister was lying on the ground beside Effie, her body wracked with coughs. Her skin looked paler than normal, and I couldn’t help myself. I leaned forward without thinking and felt myself plunging to the ground below.

I couldn’t even scream, but just before I got too close to the ground, I was caught by Gale. I looked into his eyes, which were wide with fear, and nodded. He ran with me off stage, and I could hear the crowd cheering behind us. I didn’t care. My only care was Primrose.

“Effie, what’s wrong with her?” I snapped before she could scold me for my dangerous act- ‘it could have killed you or worse, ruined the show!’

“I don’t… I don’t know. I was walking by and saw her watching and was about to tell her she should go back in- this is no show for such young eyes- and she suddenly gasped and started coughing and then collapsed.”

I grabbed my sister and carried her- ignoring the chiding remarks from some of the nastier dancers. I ran all the way to the dressing room and laid her on a couch. She still wasn’t breathing regularly, and her body was shaking. I looked around desperately for something, and was relieved when Effie handed me a foul, strong smelling substance in a canister. I stuck it under my sister’s nose and sighed when she stirred and opened her eyes. “Katniss?”

“You’re fine, baby. You’re fine.” I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tightly, and tried to ignore the tears that were rolling down my cheeks. My nights at the Mockingjay, I feared, were slowly turning from bad to worse.


End file.
